


The Twin Foxes

by DrJay30_exe



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/F, Gen, Yuri, fast progression
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-03-29 11:00:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19018555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrJay30_exe/pseuds/DrJay30_exe
Summary: When the Nine tails attacked, The Fourth Hokage gave his life to protect the Hidden Leaf Village. In the aftermath his children, the twins, Naruto and Kureha Uzumaki are left without their father. Find out how their story progresses.I own NOTHING. Naruto belongs Masashi Kishimoto, Published by Shueisha and Licensed by Madman Entertainment and Viz Media.





	1. Prologue

Fires burned around the Hidden Leaf Village. A thunderous roar tore through the screams of the villagers. Tails swishing in the air, eyes filled with hatred and malice, the Nine-Tailed Fox ravaged the village.

Suddenly, with a large burst of smoke, a giant toad appeared. Atop its head, wearing a white coat emblazoned with crimson flames, stood the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.

A huge battle ensued, in the end, unable to completely defeat the beast, the Fourth Hokage used a forbidden Jutsu and sealed away half of the beast's power into himself and a half into his twin children.  
In anger at being sealed into children, the Nine-Tails lashed out against them.

Seeing their children in danger, Minato jumped in front of the attack, giving his lives for their children.  
Completing the Jutsu, Minato sealed the Nine-Tails away, leaving behind his wife, Kushina Uzumaki and their children.

Timeskip

Many years after the Nine-Tails attack the village has returned to a peaceful state...Well...mostly.

A group of ninja were chasing two children through the village, a boy and a girl, the boy had spiky blonde hair and a pair of goggles on his head. The girl had long, straight crimson hair, held by two hairpins and bright blue eyes that matched the boys. Behind them, the Hokage monument had been covered in paint and graffiti.

"Get back here you brats!!" Yelled one of the older shinobi.

"Ha! Just you wait! One day I'm gonna be Hokage!!" The boy yelled at the pursuing mob.

"BELIEVE IT!!" He yelled in sync with the girl.

These two were the nuisances of the village.

The boy was called Naruto Uzumaki.  
The Girl was his twin sister Kureha Uzumaki.

These two were always causing trouble in the village.

This is their story.

The story of the Twin Foxes.


	2. Chapter 1

The twins raced through the village trying to escape from the shinobi chasing after them.

Jumping over rooftops, diving through alleyways and causing numerous distractions, they eventually lost their pursuers.

They kept on running racing towards the giant stone faces carved into the mountainside, laughing as they did.

"Sweet we lost 'em." Shouted the Blonde boy.

"I feel like it gets easier every-"

The redhead could not finish her sentence as they crashed into an adult.

Looking up they saw another redhead, she wore a green apron over her casual dress and she was smiling a smile that was anything but warm. Around her, there seemed to be an area of dread.

"Oh kiiids~" She called in a singsong voice.

The children paled when they realized that their mother had caught them.

WHAM!!

The sound could be heard echoing through the village, those who recognized what it was sweatdropped and those who had been on the receiving end before cringed at the memory.

Sitting in the street with bumps on their heads, the children were scolded by their mother over the prank they had pulled.

"I thought I told you two to stop doing that, it's disrespectful to the past Hokage y' know!"

"C'mon Mom, it's just a bit of fun." Said Kureha.

"Yeah, we're just spending some time before the graduation exam." Replied her brother.

Their mother sighed, knowing that they would probably pull this stunt again, then smiled at them.

"So, are the two of you excited for the graduation exam?"

"Yeah, we're gonna pass this time!" Yelled the energetic blonde.

His sister muttered a quiet "Yeah." And turned to the side.

Noticing her daughter's quietness, Kushina decided to try cheering them up.

"How about this, if you both graduate, when I come back from my mission tomorrow I'll take you both to Ichiraku for an all you can eat buffet."

The children perked up and cheered.

"Wait, you have a mission?" Asked Kureha.

"Yep, Mikoto and I got assigned an escort mission to the Land of Waves."

Kureha eyed her mother suspiciously.

"Hmm...you and her sure do have a lot of missions together lately."

Kushina's eyes narrowed at her daughter.

"Yeah, is that a problem."

"Hmm, nope not at all." She said as she looked away nonchalantly.

"AAAAHHHHH!!!!"

Both mother and daughter turned to Naruto.

"Crap! We're gonna be late!"

He hurriedly grabbed his sister by the back of her shirt and started running, dragging her along with him.

"Bye mom, don't worry, the next time you see us we'll be Shinobi. you better Believe It!"

Kushina smiled fondly as she watched her children head off to the academy.

time skip

The Uzumaki twins sat at the front row of the class while their teacher Iruka Umino explained what they would be doing for their graduation exam.

"Alright class, today you will all be taking your graduation exams. For this, you will be required to perform the Clone Jutsu to pass."

Kureha POV

"We'll start in alphabetical order."

Iruka-Sensei started calling down students to perform the Clone Jutsu.

Most of the students passed the exam. He kept ticking off the names of the students that finished the exam. As he got closer to my name I started getting nervous. Last time I could barely get enough chakra and even then I only managed to summon a failed clone.

"Sakura Haruno." I heard our sensei call out.

I looked over to see the pink-haired girl come down the stairs. She got to the front of the class and weaved some hand signs. With a puff of smoke, an exact copy of Sakura appeared next to her.

"Good work as always Sakura."

Behind us, I heard someone mutter "Showoff."

A few more students went down and performed the Jutsu. Some of them couldn't get a perfect clone but they still passed.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

I saw him descend the stairs and rolled my eyes as I heard almost all the girls in the class swoon.

Don't get me wrong. Sasuke isn't a bad guy and ever since what happened with his clan, he and his mom have become almost like family to us, but lately, he's gotten a bit dark. I remember him and Naruto used to be best friends but now they barely talk to each other.

He got to the front, performed the Jutsu and then walked back to his seat without even waiting for Iruka-Sensei to finish talking.

Iruka-Sensei cleared his throat and called on the next student.

"Kureha Uzumaki."

It took me a second to register that my name had been called and then I started to panic. What if I fail again?!

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked to see Naruto giving me a thumbs up and a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry sis, you can do this."

Taking a deep breath, I got up from my seat and made my way to the front of the class."

I started weaving the hand seals and concentrating on gathering my chakra. I gave it my all and tried to get enough chakra. I started to feel a burning pull in my stomach. My head started hurting and thoughts started flowing through my head and then I heard it. A clear voice cutting through the storm of thoughts.

Concentrate. Believe in yourself.

Suddenly I felt a surge of chakra and heard the sound of the Jutsu being done.

I opened my eyes and saw that I had summoned not one but two clones.

"Amazing Kureha!" I heard Iruka-Sensei exclaim.

I was still in shock that I managed to produce two clones.

I slowly started making my way back to my seat. When u got there I was suddenly engulfed in a bone-crushing hug that snapped me back to reality. Hugging my brother back, I managed to calm down.

"See I knew you could do it! After all, you're the sister of the next Hokage!"

I smiled at him.

"Well make sure you beat me then or else I'm gonna become the Hokage."

"Naruto Uzumaki." We heard our Sensei call out.

Naruto went to the front of the class and frowned when I started hearing people talking. It was no secret that most of the village didn't like me or my brother. Naruto acts like it doesn't affect him but I know it does, that's why he wants to be Hokage so bad.

"Alright, everyone! Clone Jutsu!"

I watched as chakra seemed to swirl around Naruto and then a burst of smoke appeared next to him. When the smoke parted it revealed...a failed clone. It was faded and could barely stand up. It collapsed to the ground and disappeared in another burst of smoke.

"Damn it Naruto! When are you gonna take this seriously!" I heard Iruka-Sensei yell.

Around us, all the other students started laughing at him. I felt myself start to get angry at that and yelled at them.

"HOW ABOUT YOU ALL SHUT UP! YOU THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH LAUGHING AT YOUR FUTURE HOKAGE LIKE THAT!"

"ALRIGHT CLASS ENOUGH!" Iruka-Sensei yelled.

Everyone quieted down.

"Naruto how do you expect to become a ninja if you can't even perform a simple Clone Jutsu?"

"Tch, I don't need that be Hokage, I'll show you."

And with that, he ran out of the class.

"Hey, Naruto! Wait!" I called out after him, but he was already out the door.

I ran out after him without even casting a glance at the others.

When I made it outside I found him sitting in the old swing next to the academy. He looked sad.

I walked over to him and he raised his head.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" He asked me.

"Meh, it's pretty boring if my only rival for Hokage isn't in there," I said trying to cheer him up and was rewarded with a small smile.

"Well, you should head back to get your headband, can't be a proper shinobi without it. I mean there's no way you didn't pass."

"Hey, I wasn't that impressive," I said getting slightly embarrassed.

"Are you kidding? You made two clones! Not even Sasuke was able to do that!"

Leave it to Naruto to cheer people up even when he's down.

"Iruka-Sensei has no idea what a mistake he's making. He's an idiot if he doesn't pass the brother of the future Hokage." I said with a smirk.

Before Naruto could get a comeback, we were interrupted by Iruka-Sensei.

He handed me something quickly before walking away. I looked down at my hands and saw a forehead protector.

"Whoa, see I knew you'd pass."

I looked over my shoulder to see Naruto smiling at me.

I looked at the headband in my hand before handing it to Naruto.

He looked at me confused.

"What?"

"If anyone deserves to be a ninja it's you."

He took the headband and tied it on.

"See, you look great in it."

He nodded before untying it and wrapping it around my head.

"Yeah, but you look better in it. Just wait till I get my own." He said with a big smile.

"Well, you better hurry. If you don't, then you're gonna have to settle for being the Hokages assistant."

I said while smirking.

He frowned and yelled.

"OH YEAH?! WELL YOU BETTER USE THIS HEADSTART, CAUSE ONCE I GRADUATE IT'S GONNA BE A STRAIGHT SHOT TO BE HOKAGE!"

I laugh as he started chasing after me.

We ran around for a while before getting tired.

"So you wanna head home before it gets dark?" I asked him.

He looked up at the sky before answering.

"Nah. I'm just gonna hang around a bit longer. You should probably go, you have a big day tomorrow now that you're a genin."

I smiled at him.

"Yeah, I have been feeling tired since the test. And hey, you better not give up on passing."

I got up and started walking away.

"See ya later bro."

Timeskip  
3rd POV

Kureha made it to the Uzumaki household after about half an hour of walking.

When she got inside she took off her sandals and looked around the empty house. She saw some pictures near the fireplace and walked towards them.

She saw the newest one and picked it up. It was a picture of her and Naruto from their birthday the previous year. Their mother insisted that she and her brother sit still for a picture but they decided to mess with each other and ended up pulling at each other's faces when the photo was taken. She smiled at the memory.

She placed it down and picked up the picture next to it. It was one of their mom's birthday. Their mom's friend Mikoto Uchiha came over and brought her sons Sasuke and Itachi. She chuckled a bit remembering how Naruto and Sasuke kept challenging each other with the last one ending in everyone covered in birthday cake when it was time to take the picture. It was one of her best memories before Naruto and Sasuke had a falling out, when they were like brothers, before what Itachi did.

Placing the photo down she made her way to her room. In the hallway one final photo caught her attention, it hung in the wall and according to their mom, it was the first picture that was hung in the house. It was a picture of their father, Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, wearing his Hokage headpiece. Next to him sat their mother, Kushina Uzumaki, the current head of the Uzumaki clan. She was told that this picture was taken about a week before they were born.

She lifted her hand and touched the picture of her father. They didn't know much about him beyond what their mother told them. All they knew was that he was a powerful shinobi and a kind Hokage. He is the reason both of his children wanted to become Hokage, to follow in his footsteps and get the village to accept them.

Moving on she made her way to her room.

She took off her headband and stared at it before placing it on the nightstand next to her bed. She went and sat on her bed and thought about the events of the day. She decided to lie down for a bit since she was exhausted and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Her eyes snapped open. She looked around her and saw a bright landscape with shallow water on the ground. Clouds seemed to swirl overhead, overall it seemed very peaceful.

In the distance, she noticed what seemed to be a small island and started walking towards it.

As she got closer she noticed a large orange mass on the island.

As she stood at the shore of the island she saw a couple of small trees dotted the small landmass, but what drew her attention the most was the giant orange fox lying down with what appeared to be nine tails swishing behind it.

"Who-what are you?" The redhead asked the towering beast.

The colossal fox raised its head to look at her, as it did she could see golden chains tethering it to the island.

"You look just like your mother." The fox said.

Kureha's eyes widened as she recognized the voice of the fox.

"It's you! The voice from when I was taking the exam! Who are you?!"

The fox seemed to grin at the question.

"My Name is Kurama and I am the Nine-Tailed Fox, and you are my Jinchuriki." He said with pride in his voice.

"And this place is your mind."

"What's a Jinchuriki?" She asked slowly, taking time to process what she had just been told.

"A Jinchuriki is a human that has been given the powers of a tailed beast. You are my Jinchuriki and my chakra was split between you and your brother by your father, the Fourth Hokage."

"Wait, you knew my mom and dad?" She asked bewildered.

"Yes--" The seemed to jump at something.

He turned back to his Jinchuriki.

"This conversation must continue another time."

"What? Why?!"

"Your brother is in danger."

"Naruto?! Where is he?! I need to go help him?!" She exclaimed with worry for her brother.

"Calm yourself Kureha. Your brother is in the forest behind the Academy. If you are going to save him, then you first need to wake up."

At those words Kureha bolted up in her bed and instantly ran out the door, hurriedly strapping on her sandals.

She started racing towards the academy at full speed, hoping that she wasn't too late to help Naruto.

She made it to the academy and headed into the forest.

"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!!" She heard her brother yell.

She looked at the scene. Iruka-Sensei was lying injured in the ground with a giant shuriken in his back and Naruto appeared to be fighting Mizuki-Sensei.

All of the Narutos rushed towards Mizuki-Sensei and proceeded to beat him down before he could even land a hit on any of them.

During the conflict, I jumped down to help Iruka-Sensei.

I removed the shuriken from his back before dragging him towards the academy building.

I looked back and saw Naruto standing over a defeated Mizuki and he seemed to be saying something before Mizuki passed out and he started making his way towards us.

"Sis? What are you doing here?"

Kureha stopped for a moment thinking of how to explain why she was here, she couldn't tell him that a giant fox in her head had told her he was in trouble.

"Well, I fell asleep when I got home and when I woke up it was already dark and you still weren't there, so I came looking for you."

He nodded before turning to Iruka.

"I'm sorry Iruka-Sensei. If it wasn't for me you wouldn't have been injured."

Kureha noticed that Naruto was crying. She very rarely saw her brother cry.

Iruka tried to sit up but was barely able to.

"No, I'm sorry Naruto. For not believing in you, for allowing everything up until now to happen. The truth is, you are not a monster, you are not the nine-tailed fox."

Kureha's eyes widened. Iruka knew about the nine-tailed fox.

"But most of all you are great shinobi."

He removed Naruto's goggles and untied his forehead protector, tying it around Naruto's forehead.

"And one day you will be a great Hokage."

Tears kept falling from Naruto's eyes.

"From this day forward Naruto, you are a Shinobi."

Timeskip.

After getting Iruka to the hospital, the twins made their way back home, where Naruto explained what had happened.

After whacking her brother on the head for doing something foolish and hugging him for making it out unharmed, she told him about the fox.

They both had dinner and went to sleep, their excitement for tomorrow quelling the thoughts racing through their heads.

Timeskip.

The following day, the twins sat in their classroom with the other graduates. Some students were shocked to see Naruto there, but he just played it off with his usual smirk.

Iruka, having recovered from most of his injuries, had explained to them that today they would be placed in ten three-man squads, with one having a fourth member due to the uneven number of students, and would be lead and trained by a Jonin.

He was currently naming the teams that would be formed and the Jonin that would be leading them and had gotten up to the seventh team.

"Team 7: Sakura Haruno, Kureha Uzumaki, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. You four will be lead by Kakashi Hatake."

There was an outraged cry from almost every female in the class, complaining about how Sakura was placed on the same team as Sasuke. Sakura, on the other hand, walked towards us and sat down next to me. Though she wasn't talking she had a slight blush on her face. Naruto, however, chose not to sit silently but instead got up on the table in front of Sasuke.

Kureha tried calming him down but Naruto wasn't listening so she gave up.

"I don't get it! What's so great about him?!" He yelled at the Uchiha's face.

"Get out of my face loser."

This started an argument between the two.

Kureha noticed a boy moving into his seat in front of them when all of a sudden she heard gasps around the room and Naruto and Sasuke had stopped arguing. When she turned around she noticed why.

When the boy had moved to his seat, he had bumped into Naruto...right into Sasuke...with his mouth opened, causing him to end up kissing Sasuke.

The sight alone was too much for Kureha and she ended up bursting with laughter. Naruto and Sasuke separated and looked at each other with wide eyes. Next to them, they felt a deadly aura. Looking over they saw Sakura looking extremely terrifying.

"Na...ru...to, you idiot!!"

She then proceeded to knock him over the head while he apologized.

Iruka managed to calm down the class and continued naming the classes.

"Team 8: Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuga and Kiba Inuzuka. You three will be led by Kurenai Yuhi."

Kureha looked over at the trio. She knew Kiba from their childhood since he was one of the few kids who would play with her and Naruto. Shino was the sort of kid that was smart but quiet enough that you might forget that he was even there. Hinata was a very shy girl and had a very obvious crush on Kureha's brother, though he was too dense to even notice.

Iruka listed the members of Team 9 and it turned out that the boy from earlier was on that team.

"Team 10: Choji Akimichi, Shikamaru Naru and Ino Yamanaka. You three will be led by Asuma Sarutobi."

Kureha had heard of the InoShikaCho formation from her mother before, apparently, there is a version of them every generation. Ino was a bit of a loudmouth who was constantly arguing with Sakura over Sasuke. Shikamaru was smart but he was also extremely lazy and constantly thought of everything as a drag, his best friend Choji was a very big eater, but no one would ever tell him that to his face. Both Shikamaru and Choji were friends of Kureha and her Brother being the other two that played with them.

"Alright, class. Your new senseis should be here soon so you have time to go get lunch before they get here."

All of the students left to get lunch.

Kureha left to get lunch at the Dango shop while Naruto followed Sakura and Sasuke.

When she got back to the class she saw that most of the Jonin had come to pick up their teams.

She went into the class and saw the team still there. Naruto was glaring at Sasuke, Sasuke looked bored as usual but was strange was that Sakura was sitting off to the side looking sad.

Kureha chose to sit next to Sakura and try to cheer her up.

After almost thirty of waiting their sensei still hadn't shown up.

Naruto got the idea to pull a prank on him when he got here. He took a chalk duster and placed it above the doorway so that it would fall on him when he opened the door.

Sasuke started arguing with him about how this would be a bad idea when they heard the door open.

Turning around they saw a man with spikey white hair and he had his forehead protector down covering his left eye. The duster had fallen in his head and fell to the ground.

"Sup." He said casually.

Naruto walked up to the Jonin.

"Hey you're late y' know. We've been waiting for you for hours."

"Sorry I just lost track of time. Now how about we get moving."

He took the kids up to the roof of the academy.

"Alright, how about you introduce yourselves."

The Genin looked at each other to see who would start. Kureha decided to go first.

"My name is Kureha Uzumaki. I enjoy training and hanging out with my family every chance I get. My dream is to one day become Hokage like my dad was before me."

Naruto decided to go next.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I love ramen and my dream is to be Hokage then everyone in the village will finally respect me."

Kureha looked at him.

"Not if I become Hokage first."

She stuck out her tongue at him.

Next Sakura decided to intro herself before the twins could start their argument.

"My name is Sakura Haruno. What I like is..."

She glanced over at Sasuke before looking away and blushing. She shook her head and continued.

"My dream is to one day become a strong kunoichi like my idol Lady Tsunade Senju."

Finally, everyone turned to Sasuke. He sighed before introducing himself.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha, I don't any particular likes or dislikes. My dream is to someday revive the Uchiha clan and get revenge on the one who killed them."

His eyes seemed to darken as he talked about it. Kureha and Naruto cast a worried glance towards him.

"Alright, I think that's enough for now." He started walking away.

"Wait Kakashi-Sensei. Arent, you going to introduce yourself?" Asked the redheaded Uzumaki.

"Not yet. Tomorrow, meet me at the training grounds. Tomorrow we will have a test. If you can pass, I will dedicate fully to training you. But if you fail, I will send you all back to the academy. Well, then I'll see you all tomorrow."

He then jumped off of the roof, leaving behind four stupefied Genin.

They all decided to head home after this.

Sakura headed out saying that she had some chores left to do.

"Hey Sasuke, our moms are coming back today so me and Naruto were going to meet them at the gate, you wanna come along?" Asked Kureha.

"Yeah sure, whatever."

And so they rushed towards the village gates.

They got there just in time to see two women coming towards the gates. They were dressed in their combat attire which for Kushina consisted of a sleeveless yellow kimono top with a red spiral pattern and the symbol of the Uzumaki clan on the back, a pair of black shorts, fingerless gloves and black, knee-high sandals.

Mikoto wore a black long-sleeved, high collared shirt with the top part unbuttoned to reveal her face, with the Uchiha symbol on the back, black pants, and black sandals.

Both women had their headbands wrapped around their foreheads.

When they reached the village, they rushed to hug their children.

"Congratulations! I knew you'd pass!" Exclaimed Kushina as she practically crushed the twins.

"Now for your reward. All you can eat buffet at Ichiraku!!"

She turned towards her friend.

"Mikoto, you and Sasuke should join us."

Mikoto chuckled at her best friend.

"You guys can get started, I'll report to the Hokage then meet you there. Sasuke why don't you go with them."

Sasuke looked up and smiled at his mother.

"Sure, I'll save you a bowl before Naruto eats it all."

"Hey!"

Turning to Naruto, Sasuke proposed a challenge to him.

"How about this, the last one there is a rotten egg."

And with that, he took off in the direction of Ichiraku.

"Not so fast!"

And then Naruto chased after him.

"Wait up you guys!"

And so Kureha ran after them too.

The two mothers looked on with amused expressions.

"They sure are energetic arent they." Said the older redhead.

"Hmm, who does that remind me of?" Asked her ravenette friend with a sarcastic tone, causing Kushina to blush.

Further ahead, Kureha chased after the two boys. One thought passed through her head.

We're finally getting started.


	3. Chapter 2

The Uzumaki and Uchiha families sat at Ichiraku ramen. The two matriarchs watched as their children were currently engaged in an eating contest with Kureha taking the lead. Unlike normal parents who would have been embarrassed by this, the two Jonin were actively cheering on their children.

"Come on Kureha! Show 'em how it's done!" Yelled the older redhead. "Keep it up Naruto!"

"You can do it Sasuke!" Yelled the Uchiha matriarch.

Kureha placed her bowl down and exhaled.

"35 Bowls. I win suckers!!" She yelled victoriously.

Teuchi, the owner of the establishment stepped forward to congratulate her.

Timeskip.

After spending some time talking and catching up about the day, the two families went their separate ways.

At the Uzumaki household the twins sat their mother down and began asking questions.

After glancing at Naruto, Kureha decided to go first.

"Mom, what is the nine-tailed fox?"

Kushina's eyes widened at the mention of Kurama and then she sighed.

"How did you find out?" She asked.

Kureha took a deep breath and started explaining how she came to know about the tailed beast.

"Well, when I was taking the graduation exam I heard a voice. I didn't know who it was but after I heard it I felt a surge of chakra. And then when I got home after that and when to sleep, I woke up in a strange area. It looked super weird, there were clouds moving but no wind at all. And there was a small island there and I that's where I saw him. He said that the place we were in was my mind, and he said I was something called a Jinchuriki. We couldn't talk for long because after that he told me Naruto was in danger and that I needed to help him."

"Wait a minute! Naruto was in danger!!" Yelled Kushina.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head before sheepishly answering.

"Well Mizuki-Sensei told me that if I could get a scroll for him then he would help me graduate..."

Kushina interrupted her son again.

"Wait! You stole a scroll?!"

Naruto flinched at his mothers voice before continuing his explanation.

"He said that if I managed to master every jutsu in that scroll then he would pass me. When I got there and got the scroll I was only able to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu before Iruka-Sensei showed up and stopped me. He told me to run away and to take the scroll with me. Then I heard Mizuki-Sensei talking about the nine-tailed fox. He said that me and sis are monsters, that we tried to destroy the village."

Naruto stopped for a second and swallowed before continuing.

"He said that we killed Iruka-Sensei's parents...is that true mom?" He asked looking nervous.

Kushina took a deep breath before beginning her explanation.

"Alright. Before I can tell you about that there's something you need to understand about Kurama. He isn't evil. Ever since he existed people have tried to bend him to their will, and because of that he started to hate everything. Then one day a man named Madara Uchiha managed to control Kurama with his Sharingan and tried to destroy the village. It wasn't until the first Hokage freed him were they able to stop Madara. But in order to free Kurama from Madara, Lord First had to seal him inside his wife, Mito Uzumaki."

The children sat with wide eyes as they listened to their mothers story.

"You see Mito was a relative of mine but moved away when she married the first Hokage. Since we Uzumakis are born with large amounts of chakra, we're able to handle the process of becoming Jinchuriki better than most. Also since the Senju and Uzumaki are distant blood relatives it was decided that Ninja from Land of Eddies would become the Jinchuriki of the nine-tails. When Mito was nearing the end of her life, I was brought to the Hidden Leaf to become the next Jinchuriki. It was...rough to say the least. Kurama was stubborn and a pain in the ass most of the time and we tended to argue a lot. But one day after a really tough mission where I got hurt really bad, I probably would have died but Kurama saved me. I was weak and he could have just taken over my body but he didn't. He healed me and just stayed locked away. When I got better I confronted him about it. I remember him acting cool and saying he was just keeping his body safe."

Kushina smiled fondly as she remembered the memory of that day.

"I called him a big softie and said that he really does care. He called me an insolent child and threatened to eat me. I tried asking him why he keeps treating me like a kid. He said that I could  never understand why. So I told him to explain. He didn't the first time and ended up forcing me out. I kept going back again and again and again. And the thirtieth time he finally gave up and told me his story. It was sad and I ended up cry a few times but in the end I understood him a bit better. Over time we got to know each other and became partners."

Kushina's smile disappeared and was replaced by a frown.

"Then one day, about 12 years ago on the day you were born, a masked man arrived and took control of Kurama. He must have known that the seal that kept Kurama within me would be weakened. He pulled Kurama from me and somehow managed to take control of him. If it wasn't for Minato..."

Tears started welling in Kushina's eyes as she thought of her late husband. Her children moved forward and wrapped their mother in a warm hug.

Kushina wiped her yes and continued her story.

"When Minato sealed Kurama inside the two of you, the power holding Kurama was broken. If Kurama talks to you I think it'd be a good idea of you gave him a chance. He isnt evil but it could tale some time for him to warm up to you. Now, dont you both have to be up early tomorrow, I think it's time you both went to bed. We'll talk about that whole scroll business later."

Nodding, the twins got up and went to get ready for bed.

That night the Uzumaki family had a difficult time sleeping with all the thoughts and memories that were swarming through their heads.

Unable to ease her thoughts Kureha got out of bed and went to her desk and started working on a small project.

Timeskip.

Team 7 sat at the training field waiting for their sensei...who was supposed to be here about half an hour ago.

"Jeez! Where is Kakashi-Sensei, he was supposed to he here by now!" Exclaimed a frustrated Naruto. He and Sasuke are having a competition of throwing kunai at targets and were currently tied.

"Relax he'll be here. How 'bout you just concentrate. It'd be no fun to when when you're distracted." Said Sasuke with a smug look.

"As if! I could beat you in my sleep duckbutt!"

"Oh yeah loser? Well bring it on!"

And with that the two boys started launching kunai at the targets.

Kureha sighed as she watched the two genin compete against each other.

"They are so dumb sometimes."

Kureha and Sakura sat next to the three logs that stuck up from the ground. The two were talking about what kind if test their sensei would give them.

After another ten minutes, Kakashi finally appeared with a burst of smoke.

"Sorry I'm late. I was a bit held up."

A certain blonde ninja walked up to him started yelling about how late he was and how a ninja is always supposed to be on time.

"Alright, alright. Now let's get started."

The genin gathered around their sensei to hear his instructions. He pulled out two bells from his pockets.

"Alright, your goal is to snatch these bells from me. Everyone who manages to get a bell passes. As you've noticed there are only two bells and four of you, meaning..."

"Only two of us will get to pass." Finished Sakura.

"Correct, now you are allowed to use any tactic or jutsu you can think of to try and get these bells."

He pulled out an alarm clock from his foal jacket and placed it on the centre log.

"Really sensei, we only have to get the bells?" Asked Kureha.

Kakashi placed his hand on the clock and turned on the timer.

"Yep, all you have to do is take these bells from me. If you cant do it by noon then you go without lunch. Now begin.

As soon as he said that, Naruto and Sasuke rushed towards him and launched a flurry of blows towards him but the Jonin just deflected all of their hits.

Using Naruto and Sasuke's attacks as a diversion, Kureha charged from behind with a kunai.

Anticipating her attack, Kakashi dodged a punch from Naruto and Sasuke, grabbed their wrists and threw them at Kureha.

Dodging to the side, she kept on with her attack but Kakashi just twisted the kunai out of her hand.

She tried kicking at him but he caught her foot and threw her to the ground.

Sakura jumped up from behind him and before he could react, Kureha grabbed his legs to try and keep him in place.

However, this proved futile as he just twisted on the ground and swung his leg towards Sakura, throwing Kureha at her. They landed in a heap on the ground.

Sasuke rushed towards Kakashi and threw some shuriken at him.

When he saw Kakashi distracted by the projectiles he weaved some hand signs before taking a deep breath and releasing.

"FIRE STYLE: FIRE BALL JUTSU!"

A massive ball of flames was expelled from his mouth and seemed to engulf Kakashi.

When the flames flickered out it was shown that Kakashi had used the Substitution Jutsu and all that was burned was a log.

Sasuke looked around and tried to figure out where Kakashi could have escaped to and before he could even react he was grabbed by his ankles and pulled underground until only his head was left peeking out and Kakashi stood above him with a condescending look.

"That jutsu was impressive especially for someone who just graduated, too bad you're just too slow."

He looked around and noticed that the other members of Team 7 had fled into the forest.

...

Further off in the western part of the forest Sakura and Kureha were planning their next step.

"I think it would be best for us to try a pincer maneuver, you attack him from above while I attack from below." Said the pink haired kunoichi.

"That's sounds good but we'll need to he able to react fast in case he's able to dodge us."

Kureha took out a kunai with a string attached from her pouch and handed it to Sakura.

"If he turns towards you, throw this kunai and pull yourself out of his way and I'll try to attack him."

Sakura nodded and they decided to wait for ten minutes before going to attack him.

If I was able to use some jutsu then I might be more effective against Kakashi-Sensei but I'm barely able to draw up enough chakra to form a stupid clone. Thought Kureha.

I could help you. She heard Kirama speak inside her mind.

What?

I could share my chakra with you and that should be enough for you to perform some jutsu.

Kureha considered this for a moment.

Ok but what if you end up giving me too much chakra and the jutsu goes out of control?

Hmm...Tell me the jutsu you were thinking of performing.

Kureha thought for a moment before a memory flashed in her mind. It was from a few years ago back before Itachi left the village. Her, Naruto, Sasuke and Itachi were out by the river that ran by the village and they were watching Itachi practice the Fire Ball Jutsu. He had taught them the hand signs and explained the basic but none of them were able to produce much except for Sasuke.

Snapping back to reality, Kureha made up her mind.

The Fire Ball Jutsu.

I see. I will give you enough chakra to produce a medium sized jutsu. You will feel when the chakra flows through you and that will be your cue.

All right.

Kureha was removed from her mental conversation when Sakura came up to her and tolls her that it was time to move.

...

Kakashi stood in the centre of the training field reading his book. He was waiting for the rest of his students to make a move. Sasuke was still buried up to his neck and he had caught Naruto trying to have lunch ahead of time and tied him to one of the logs. Now all that was left was the two kunoichi who had run into the forest.

When a kunai came flying at his head he caught it with minimal effort but he felt his legs leave the ground as Sakura swept at him from below.

Quickly following up, Kureha jumped from the trees and dropped with a kick onto Kakashi.

However, once again he burst into smoke revealing anither log and reappeared behind Sakura.

Kureha's eyes widened in alarm before yelling.

"Sakura move!"

Reacting quickly, Sakura took the kunai Kureha had given her, drew the string and threw it at a tree. When it made contact she pulled hard and reeled herself in, moving out of Kakashi's range.

Kureha felt a surge through her body, tingling from her toes to her fingertips. She weaved the necessary hand signs and felt the chakra inside her changing, it seemed to increase and the tingling sensation changed to a more burning one.

She inhaled and released a great ball of flame.

"Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!"

Kakashi dodged her attack and placed two fingers on her forehead. She felt her senses dull and lost control of her body. She knew she was being placed under genjutsu but she couldn't react, he mind was too clouded and before she knew it she fell into darkness.

...

When she came to, she saw that she was sitting by the logs, Sasuke had been dug up and sat scowling to her left, to her right Sakura had a frown on her face and Kureha tried to reach over to comfort her when she noticed her body was still heavy. Behind her, her brother was tied to one of the logs looking particularly unhappy.

Kakashi walked in front of them.

"Well since its noon and you guys still haven't gotten the bells, I guess I'll give you a pass and let you have lunch, except for Naruto, who tried to have his lunch early. If any of you tries to feed him, all of you will fail. Enjoy your meal."

And with that he disappeared.

The members of Team 7, who were not tied up, took out their lunch and began eating. Halfway through they heard a large rumbling noise coming from behind them.

Sighing Kureha offered some of her food to her brother.

"Y'know, if you just had breakfast like I told you to, this wouldn't have happened."

Sasuke groan and lifted his lunch box too.

"Here loser."

"Guys, Kakashi-Sensei said we aren't allowed to share with Naruto." Said a worried Sakura.

"Kakashi-Sensei isn't here." Said Sasuke.

"Yeah, it'll be alright Sakura." Replied Kureha.

Hesitantly, Sakura also lifted up her lunch to offer some to Naruto.

"Just hurry up okay."

Naruto started tearing up at his teammates helping him, before blushing.

"Uh, my hands are kind of tied right now...can one of you feed me."

The others sweatdropped. Before they could move to help him, a burst of smoke appeared and faded, revealing their sensei.

"YOU!"

The genin jumped up and prepared for another round of combat.

"You passed." Kakashi said with a light expression.

The young ninja were shocked to say the least.

"But I thought you said that we would fail if we gave him food."

Hmm...that's true. In the ninja world those who break the rules are scum."

He lifted his head and gazed at the sky. His eyes seemed to be looking into the past.

"But those who would abandon their friends are even worse than scum."

The genin looked at their senior with wide eyes.

"So then, that means..."

He chuckled.

"Yes, from now on I will train you. Now to commemorate the day I asked a photographer to come today."

An old man with a camera came walking towards them.

"Alright, we gotta hurry up now."

Kakashi got them all to group together Throughout the shoot, Naruto and Sasuke kept glaring at each other, Sakura and Kureha tried to keep them away from each other and Kakashi just smiled as memories from a time long passed came to his mind.

...

Kakashi waved goodbye and said that he had some business to take care of and that they would begin training tomorrow.

Before her teammates left, Kureha told them she had a gift for them.

Reaching into her pouch she pulled out four woven bracelets. Each of them had two charms attached. One bearing the kanji for seven and a charm unique for each member. The one she handed to Sasuke had the symbol of the Uchiha clan. For Sakura it was a five petaled cherry blossom. For Naruto it was a bowl of ramen and for herself it was nine lines that swirled towards the centre.

She explained how she thought it would be a good gift for them to not only celebrate graduating but also being placed on the same team.

They parted ways and went home, with the twins deciding to stop by Ichiraku.

Layer that night, they were able to sleep easier that night knowing that tomorrow they would properly begin their training as ninja.

Timeskip.

Team 7 stood at the training grounds with their sensei and waited for him to explain the first step of their training.

"Alright, watch me carefully."

He walked towards the forest and up to one of the trees, he placed his foot on the tree and walked directly up it, seemingly defying gravity.

"Now you do it."


	4. Chapter 3

Kakashi explained to them that they would be learning chakra control, starting with walking up trees.

"This is a very basic technique. Focus your chakra at the soles of your feet. Push it against the object you want to walk against and use it as an anchor to keep yourself on it. Your first objective is to make it to the top of those trees and mark it with a scratch from your kunai. There isn't a real time limit to but I expect you to master it quickly." Explained the Jonin.

The four genin walked up to the trees that bordered the forest. Naruto ran at the tree and tried to get to the top, only to end up falling to the ground. 

"Geez loser, didn't you listen? He said to use our chakra." Said Sasuke.

He closed his eyes and started walking up the tree, but before he could make it to the top he also fell.

"Wow! This is cool!" Said Sakura.

The other three turned to see her already at the top.

Kureha took her deep breath and concentrated on gathering chakra at the soles of her feet, imagining as though she was standing on it. Opening her eyes, she placed her foot in the trunk and tried walking walking up and slipped. She remembered how Kakashi said use the chakra as an anchor and focused on attaching her chakra through the tree, making a small dent. After making sure her footing was steady, she placed her other foot and kept climbing. She kept slipping on her way up but eventually made it to the top and used her kunai to make a gash in the wood.

She and Sakura got down and tried again until the were sure that they got it correctly. After about ten minutes, the two kunoichi had gotten it down, but the two boys were still having trouble. They had decided to turn it into a competition and kept tying with each other.

Kakashi got tired of waiting and decided to move on to the next part of the lesson with those who had passed and too them over to the pond by the training grounds.

"All right, since you two seem to understand how to walk up solid objects, we'll move on to something a bit more challenging." 

He walked over to water and placed his foot on the surface and continued walking until he reached the centre.

The kunoichi stood in awe of what he had just done. 

"For this one, you have to keep adjusting the chakra flow to keep you steady on the water."

He walked back to shore.

"Now you try."

The kunoichi concentrated their chakra and walked onto the waters surface they lasted a few seconds before they fell through. They stood up and tried again. It took about half an hour before they could finally do it properly.

"This is way harder than the other version. It's taking all of my concentration just not to sink." Said Sakura.

Kureha wasn't faring any better. She was managing to stay afloat, but her feet kept sinking just beneath the waters surface.

It was then that Kakashi walked up to them.

"Well it since those two are still struggling with the basics,"

He said pointing behind him at the two ninja who were still trying to climb up the tree. 

"We'll move forward. You two are going to spar while staying afloat. To be effective Shinobi you need to be able to do this jutsu without even thinking about it. It should be as natural as breathing."

...

The two kunoichi readied themselves. It was hard considering they had to concentrate on not sinking.

Sakura took a step forward and saw that her footing stayed. She took another, then another before she started sprinting towards Kureha.

Kureha was having a harder time. She barely managed to block Sakura's attack while staying afloat. Sakura noticed this and tried to give her teammate some advice.

"Come on. You need to concentrate. Try shaping the chakra under your feet. Picture it as a platform for you to stand on."

Kureha closed her eyes and tried focusing. She picture a round platform forming under her feet. She felt it growing wider and wider, forming an area for her to move in. On the outside, the water around her was sloshing before a smooth surface started radiating out from her.

From the shore Kakashi stared, intrigued at Kureha's power.

'To have this level of chakra control. That power is undoubtedly the Nine-tails, but that control. She really is just like you, Minato-Sensei.'

The waves finally crashed across the shore. The area around Kureha and Sakura was now as smooth as glass. 

"Woah. I didnt know you had this much power. It's getting easier to stand."

Kureha opened her eyes and saw the fighting area she had created. 

"I did that?"

"Alright. Now let's get going."

Hearing Sakura broke Kureha out of her reverie.

She got into her stance and waited for Sakura to charge at her.

Tapping into her training, Kureha managed to dodge most of the attacks but her concentration was drawn to keeping the water stable, making her unable to attack.

This went on for about fifteen minutes before Kakashi told them to take a break.

"Y'know, your fighting style is pretty cool, I could barely land a hit on you back there."

They were sitting by the shore and letting their feet soak in the water.

"Really? It's the Uzumaki Style of fighting. Mom taught me and Naruto early on but we still have a hard time with it. I can dodge well enough but my strikes are too weak. Naruto is too hard headed to dodge but at least you can feel it when he lands a hit."

Kureha gazed off towards where Naruto and Sasuke were still trying to climb the tree.

"You should see my mom when she fights. It's a bit scary sometimes but shes really amazing. She does this thing where she concentrates chakra into her limbs to enhance her attacks. I tried it once and broke my arm."

She rubbed the back of her head awkwardly before turning to Sakura.

"Hey can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure."

"Well you see, I have a real hard time controlling my chakra, sometimes it's just really tough for me. So I was wondering if you would be willing to teach me a bit."

Sakura seemed to think for a bit.

"Sure, but on one condition. Can you teach me how to fight?"

Kureha looked confused for a moment.

"Really, you want me to teach you?"

"Well yeah. One of the reasons I chose to become a Kunoichi was because I looked up to people like your mom and Lady Tsunade, but my hand to hand combat really sucks."

Kureha grabbed Sakura's hand and looked at her with fierce determination.

"Of course. I'd be honored to teach you."

She didnt miss the blush that dusted Sakura's cheeks.

...

They sat for another 10 minutes before returning to their sparing. 

They kept going for almost another hour, giving each other pointers on how to improve were they were lacking.

By the time that the sun had started to set Kureha and Sakura was getting better at standing in the water while Naruto and Sasuke were slowly but steadily reaching the tree top.

...

Two weeks passed. Kureha and Sakura were teaching each other about various techniques. Halfway through the first week, Naruto and Sasuke had managed to reach the top of the tree and had moved in to the walking in water technique.

It was towards the end of the second week, the four man squad was sparing with each other when Kakshi approached them.

"Good news team. You've been doing well in your training lately. I'm proud to announce that we've got our first mission."

Naruto jumped up and cheered, almost falling through the water he was standing on.

"What's the mission Sensei?"

"It's an escort mission, to the Land of Waves"


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their first mission was supposed to be a simple one, but complications arose and now Team 7 must make some very tough choices.

_The mission was supposed to be a simple one, escort some grouchy old bridge builder to the land of waves and guard him while he completes it. But that all went out the window when they were attacked by not only the Hidden Mist's Demon Brothers, Gozu and Meizu, but they were almost killed by Zabuza Momochi, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. It was revealed that he was hired by a man named Gato to assassinate Tazuna._

_He managed to trap Kakashi with his Water Prison Jutsu and had them on defense with Kureha and Sakura defending Tazuna while Naruto and Sasuke worked on freeing Kakashi. Thanks to a tag team combination from the Shinobi, they were able to free Kakashi and turn the tide of the fight and due to the arrival of one of the Hidden Mist's Hunter Ninja, they were able to escape the fight with their lives._

_They made it back to Tazuna's house where they met his daughter Tsunami and her hostile child Inari. They learned that Inari's step-father Kaiza died while fighting against Gato and that lead to Inari resenting him. Naruto ended up having an argument with him and to blow off some steam he decided to head out into the forest to do some training. Kureha and Sakura decided to spar a bit outside to be better prepared in case another attack._

 

* * *

 

 

Block, Dodge, Hit, Parry, Dodge.

 

The kunoichi were managing to hold their own against each other so far with Sakura picking up most of what Kureha was teaching her.

 

"Y'know, I didn't expect you to pick these up so fast. It took me forever and I'm still learning it. But then again, you were the top student at the Academy." Sakura blushed at the praise from her teammate. A strange feeling started fluttering in her chest, one she couldn't quite place.

 

"That's only cause the person teaching me is so good." Kureha smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck.

 

"You give me too much credit, I still just barely know how to fight. Sometimes I wish strong like Naruto is."

 

"Don't say that, you're plenty strong, in fact I bet that you could match Naruto in a fight. I've noticed that he doesn't really use the same fighting style as you, I thought you said that your mom taught you both."

 

"She did, but i actually stuck around and listened while Naruto just went around hitting training dummies. Don't tell him this, but he's actually the reason I want to get stronger."

 

Kureha's eyes seemed to lose focus as she went down through her memories to the day she hated the most.

 

"It was a while back, almost two years ago I think, back in winter. Mom had left for a mission so me and Naruto decided to stay out a little later than usual. we hung out around the Academy and we saw some kids bullying Hinata.

Back then, Hinata was one of the few people who wasn't afraid of talking to us. We tried to stop them, but I couldn't do anything, they were stronger than us. I got hurt pretty and then they started saying some stupid shit about mom.

Naruto got really pissed and kept charging at them, but they just kept beating him up. We were lucky when Hinata's bodyguard showed up. I was useless. I couldn't protect my friend. I couldn't do anything while my brother was getting beat up. When mom got home, I told her what happened and asked her if she could train me. I may be stronger now, but it's my fear that's the issue I get too scared and that lets my opponents get the drop on me."

 

Sakura placed a hand on Kureha's shoulder to cheer her up.

 

"Don't worry, if there's one thing that I'm good at, it's working though fear. I'll help you get over your fear. Think of it as my way of paying you back for the training."

 

Kureha fought back a blush and smiled at her teammate.

 

"It's getting pretty late, we better get some rest."

 

And with that the two kunoichi headed back inside to prepare for tomorrow and whatever trials they may face.

 

* * *

 

Naruto was late. He said that he would be back last night after storming out, but it was already the next day and the team was supposed to be guarding Tazuna while he worked on the bridge.

 

"Sensei, you guys should go on ahead, I'll go find Naruto and we'll meet you at the bridge."

 

Kakashi sighed but didn't stop her.

 

"Fine, but try to hurry."

 

And so she rushed off towards the forest that Naruto went into last night.

 

* * *

 

 

She'd been looking for almost half an hour and she still hadn't found Naruto.

 

"HEY NARUTO!! WHERE ARE YOU!!"

 

'Damn it, where the hell is he?'

 

Kureha was getting more and more frustrated as time went on before a deep voice interrupted her thoughts.

 

**'If you want, I can try locating him for you.'**

 

"Huh, you can really do that Kurama?"

 

**'Sure, I just have to focus on finding my other half, who is currently locked in a cage within your brother.'**

 

The was a brief silence before she felt a burst of chakra radiate outwards from her, she felt it sweep the surrounding area and strike a similar chakra.

 

**'There he is, but why the hell did he head out so far anyways?'**

 

Kureha started heading towards him before a thought came to her.

 

"Hey wait a minute! If you could have done that the entire time, why did you let me stumble around blind?!"

 

'Oh that's pretty simple, because it was funny.'

 

A tick mark appeared on Kureha's forehead but she decided to move on, now wasn't the time.

 

'Dumb fox.'

 

* * *

 

 

In the forest, Naruto was having a conversation with Haku, a girl had met after passing out from exhaustion in the woods. A pulse of energy chakra had managed to wake him up and he noticed the girl there picking some herbs. They struck up a conversation and found they had some things in common, before Kureha showed up searching for her brother. After parting ways with Haku, but not before she stated that she would meet them again, the twins made their way back to Tazuna's house, to pick up Naruto's equipment before heading to the bridge.

 

"So this is where you've been all night. If you wanted to sneak off for a rendezvous with your girlfriend you could have just told us. Or was this supposed to be a secret like in those books that mom is always reading? Oh what will I ever tell Hinata, her poor heart will be broken."

 

Throughout Kureha's rant Naruto's face grew steadily redder before he couldn't take it anymore.

 

"SHUT UP!! I just passed out from training and I found her here picking some stuff, that's all. You won't be telling Hinata anything."

 

This caused a smirk to spread across Kureha's face.

 

"Oh could it be that your finally ready to tell her then, admit that you're actually head over heels for her?"

 

She wasn't expecting Naruto to start grinning.

 

"How about this, I'll tell Hinata how I feel when you admit to Sakura that you have a giant crush on her."

 

Kureha's face turned a color almost identical to her hair. 

 

"HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?!!"

 

"Let's just say that you need to pick up your diary before you go to sleep."

 

Naruto laughed triumphantly until he noticed that his sister had stopped moving. He felt an incredibly deadly aura coming from behind him.

 

"Um, sis?"

 

"You. Did. What?"

 

Red chakra started coating her arm as she took menacing steps towards Naruto, who was trying to back away. 

 

"Hey uh... calm down sis."

 

The sound of her fist coming into contact with his head could be heard throughout the forest.

 

* * *

 

 

They made it back to the house, with Naruto still rubbing his head after his sister's vicious punch. 

 

"Jeez, did you really have to hit me that hard?"

 

"Hmph. maybe that'll teach ya not to go snooping around other peoples stuff."

 

As they got closer to the house, they noticed some goons carrying a tied up Tsunami. The twins rushed to help her and tried to surprise the thugs. Kureha went for the thug that was holding Tsunami while Naruto aimed for his friend. Kureha delivered a swift kick to the guys shin, causing him to fall face first, and then tried to cut Tsunami loose with a kunai. While her back was turned the thug got up and drew his blade, ready to bring it down on her.

In that instant, time seemed to freeze for Kureha. 

 

'Shit. I got careless.'

 

She could feel her blood pumping. It got to the point where it started to get painful and cause her head to ache. Faintly she could her Kurama's voice in the back of her mind.

 

**'You must fight back. If you don't then you will die, your friends will die, so MOVE!'**

 

Kurama's chakra started pulsing through her and on pure instinct Kureha took the kunai and stabbed forward, right into the thugs throat. The thug grabbed at the kunai while coughing up blood. Kureha gathered her strength and forced the blade in deeper until she saw his eyes close and the pulse she was feeling through the blade stopped. She pulled her kunai back and watched as the man fell to the ground, dead. 

She had killed him.

On the inside she was panicking. She had killed someone. It was to defend someone, but she had killed another person. She stared at the blade in her hand, the one she had used to kill him, it was still coated in his blood. 

 

**'Kureha, snap out of it! He was going to kill you and you defended yourself. I know that i must be hard, but for now you must make sure that your friends are safe. If they attacked her, then there might be a chance that they also attacked the bridge.'**

 

Hearing Kurama's voice snapped Kureha out of her thoughts. She looked around and saw that Inari had come out of the house clad in armor made from kitchenware. Tsunami had rushed over to hug her son why Naruto was congratulating him.

 

"Naruto, we need to hurry and head to the bridge, if there was an attack here, there might be one on the workers."

 

Nodding, Naruto rushed off with Kureha towards the bridge.

 

* * *

 

 

When the Uzumaki twins made it to the bridged they were greeted with a terribly familiar mist. Through it they saw Kakashi fighting Zabuza and what seemed to be a dome of ice.

 

"Naruto, Kureha over here!" The one calling them was Sakura who stood off to the side guarding Tazuna. 

 

"Sasuke is over in that dome fighting that Hunter Ninja from before."

 

Simply nodding, Naruto ran towards the dome to help Sasuke while Kureha stood guard with Sakura and told her what happened.

 

* * *

 

 

Kakashi's fight was intense and ended when Kakashi used a summoning scroll to summon his Ninja Hounds and restrained Zabuza. Before he could celebrate his victory however, Gato and almost thirty of his thugs. They surrounded Kakashi and Zabuza and were about to attack before a massive wave of chakra threw most of them back. From within the ice dome a swirling mass of red chakra was leaking out and synchronizing with the chakra emanating from Kureha. Suddenly the ice dome melted away and out burst Naruto. Behind him sat Haku who was taking care of an injured Sasuke. 

With a shared yell, the twins charged towards the army like a whirlwind and started taking down Gato's men, all the while covered in spiraling red chakra.

As the twins decimated his army, Gato tried to escape, only to be stopped by Kakashi and Zabuza.

After ten minutes, Gato and his men had been defeated. Naruto and Kureha, having used the last of their energy, passed out from exhaustion. Their Sensei and Teammates watched over them with proud smiles.

 

* * *

 

 

A week passed and the bridged was finally completed. The workers had decided to name it 'The Great Whirlwind Bridge' in honor of their heroes. Kakashi decided to let Haku and Zabuza go, stating that so long as they didn't attack again then they weren't part of their job. They stayed for a bit before heading their own way. Thanks to Naruto, Inari's faith had been restored and he had cheered up quite a bit even helping with building the bridge.

Soon it was time for Team 7 to return back to the Hidden Leaf Village. 

And thus, their first real mission was completed.

Kureha was left with much more to think about.

Sakura was pondering the strange feeling she got around Kureha.

Naruto experienced the Nine-Tails' power for the first time.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan.

And Kakashi was proud of how well his team had done.

 

 

 

 


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Team 7's mission to the Land of Waves, Kureha is having a hard time coming to grips with her actions. Faced with the reality of the Shinobi world, she seeks advice. Meanwhile, Kushina teaches her children the techniques of their lineage and Kakashi decides that it's time for his team to take their next step as Shinobi.

_His face kept showing up, twisted in agony as the blade of the kunai plunged into his neck. The blood coming fro his neck dripped from her hands. The blood on the ground started rising. Before long it reached up to her neck and kept getting higher. She fought to keep her head above the crimson liquid. No matter what the blood would not stop rising and soon..._

 

* * *

 

Kureha jumped up out of bed with a shout of "NO!". She was panting, her heart was racing and tears crawled out from the corners of her eyes. After the mission, they had been given a month off to recover and for over a week now, the same nightmare had haunted her. 

A light knocking on her door broke drew her attention before the door opened and Kushina walked in.

 

"Hey sweetheart, is everything alright?"

 

Unable to bear it any longer, Kureha rushed towards her mother and let her emotions run free.

 

"I knew it would happen b-but...it was just so awful. How do you do it mom?"

 

Kushina looked at her daughter and felt her heart ache. She looked exactly like a younger version of herself. She remembered how she felt after the first time she had to take the life of an enemy. She was horrified. Her Sensei told her that there would be situations where the only option was to kill but nothing ever prepared her for it.

 

 "Kureha, look at me. I'm not going to lie to you and say that it gets easier. It never does, but remember that you should only do it to protect, only when there is no other option. I know that this might not have been the answer that you were hoping for but it's the truth. I want you to know, no matter what happens, you can talk to me."

 

Kureha hugged her mother even tighter and let the words sink in. 'To protect'.

 

"Mom, can you please stay here tonight?"

 

Kushina smiled and agreed and so the two fell asleep, Kureha's nightmare kept at bay by her mother words and her warm embrace.

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning Kushina called her children to the field behind their house. She said that she would be teaching them a new technique, now that they've completed their first mission.

 

"I planned on doing this when you graduated but then my mission came up and I had to postpone it. First take these, your reward for graduating."

 

She handed them each a wrapped package that they didn't hesitate to tear into them. The twins froze when they saw what their gift was. Each of them had been given three specially designed kunai. The handle was thick and bound in a yellow cloth inscribed with a jutsu formula and the blade split into three.

 

"T-this is..."

 

They had been gifted their father's signature weapon. His Flying Raijin Kunai.

 

"They were your father's. He only ever made seven of them, one of which belongs to your Sensei now."

 

Kureha looked at her mother and her eyes widened in realization.

 

"Mom, does this mean..."

 

Kushina smiled before pulling out a scroll.

 

"That's right, today I'm gonna be teaching you the basics for two techniques that your dad invented. The Flying Raijin Jutsu and the Rasengan."

 

At hearing this, Kureha and Naruto were charged with excitement. Kushina tried to calm them down but they were just too excited. Slowly getting more agitated, Kushina's hair slowly rose up before she yelled out,

 

"You could at least wait for me to start the lesson y'know!"

 

The twins instantly froze and sat down and waited for their mom to continue. 

 

"Good, I think it's best to start off with the Flying Raijin since you already know quite a bit about it. Take one of those kunai and concentrate on the formula. Memorize it, then concentrate your chakra on it. You got it?"

 

The twins closed their eyes and concentrated on their kunai. They saw the formula in their mind and felt their chakra leak onto the blade. They nodded their approval to their mother.

 

"All right, now throw them."

 

They looked around for some targets and launched their kunai. They underestimated how the weight of the kunai would affect its flight, Kureha's was a little off-center while Naruto's almost missed the target. Kushina stared at where their kunai hit and made a mental note to have them practice their aim with the Flying Raijin kunai.

 

"Alright now concentrate on the formula again. Fell the flow of your chakra and concentrate on grasping the formula."

 

The twins did as she said and before they knew it that had teleported to their kunai. Looking back at their mother and saw her looking back with a proud smile. 

 

'They got that faster than I thought they would. Guess they take after you in that regard huh Minato.'

 

"Alright, next lesson."

 

She tossed some water balloons at them.

 

"What are we supposed to do with this?" asked Naruto.

 

Kushina pulled out another water balloon and it burst in her hand.

 

"Step one is chakra rotation."

 

* * *

 

 

The training for the Rasengan was more strenuous then they thought it was gonna be. After they popped the water balloons with their chakra, they had to move on to a rubber ball. The aspect of this stage was power. Without the water as a catalyst for their chakra, they has a harder time getting it to burst but eventually they were successful. The last step was the most challenging. It focused more on control. They had to had to take all they learned from the first two steps and keep it in control without it bursting, but with some advice from their mother, the twins were also able to complete this stage.

 

* * *

 

 

For the next two weeks, the twins would train to master their techniques. While Naruto took to the Rasengan like a fish to water, Kureha excelled at the Flying Raijin Jutsu. In secret, the redheaded twin worked with the Tailed-Beast sealed within her on strengthening her control of chakra. Kurama taught her how to tap into his power and use it more effectively. He also told her of the drawbacks it would cause to use too much.

 

"Even if we're split apart, I'm still connected to my other half. If you use too much power, there's a chance that it might affect your brother too so keep that in mind.

 

* * *

 

 

Team 7 was gathered back at the training field waiting for their Sensei, who told them that he had something very important to discuss, but as usual he was late. It took him a resounding three hours to make it to the meeting. When he did and the genin ignored his ridiculous excuse, he announced why he had called them.

 

"I would like to sign you guys up for the Chunnin Exams."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For reference, The Uzumaki House is the mansion that Kushina lived in as a kid. In this AU, she never moved out and went to live in an apartment with Minato, instead he moved in with her.


	7. Chapter 6

Team 7 sat in the classroom that hosted the first round of the Chunin Exams. Before them was a test paper with nine extremely difficult questions. Four teams had already been eliminated when they were caught cheating by the Chunin observers placed there by the first proctor - Ibiki Morino, Head of the Torture ans Interrogation Squad.

Most of students had figured out that the point of this test was to cheat without being caught. Sasuke was using his Sharingan to copy answers from one of the hidden Chunin placed there by Ibiki. Sakura and Kureha were managing to answer most of the questions, having actually studied for them. Naruto on the other hand...was completely hopeless. Unlike his twin who valued knowledge and studied when she had the chance, Naruto was more interested in physical training and Ninjutsu.

Another ten minutes passed and Ibiki called for the end. He announced a final tenth question that rendered the first nine completely pointless. He said that if they failed this question, they would never be Chunin, however if they left now they would be allowed to take the exam again in six months. This further thinned the crowd of Genin and for a moment it seemed like Naruto was going to raise his hand, much to the shock and horror of Team 7.

'No way, he's not really going to quit is he?' thought Kureha with doubt creeping into her mind.

Suddenly, Naruto slammed his hand down on the table.

"Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run! You can act tough all you want but you're not gonna scare me off, No Way!! I don't care if I get stuck as a Genin for the rest of my life. I will become Hokage someday!" he yelled with a passion.

Kureha smiled at her brother's unwavering conviction.

Naruto's speech seemed to have reinvigorated the remaining teams. Ibiki smiled and explained how they passed, that the test was to see how well they could gather information without being detected, but also to test their convictions as ninja.

Before he could begin explaining the next part of the test however, something crashed through the window. It was their next proctor, Anko Mitarashi. After complaining to Ibiki about too many Teams being left, she took all of them to the Forty-Fourth training grounds, also known as the Forest of Death.

After explaining the rules and handing the team their scrolls, all thirty-two teams walked to their respective gates and got ready.

* * *

To say that Team 7 was having a hard time in the Forest of Death would be an understatement. Not only had they been attacked by giant animals, now they had to worry about some weird snake person with a...disturbing interest in Sasuke. They had faced off against the Sound Genin which resulted in many injuries and the team decided that they now needed to keep a closer eye on Sasuke. After encountering Kabuto again and getting a new Scroll, they made their way to the central tower.

Kureha noticed that since healing from her injuries, her senses seemed to be much sharper. Despite how dark the forest was, she could see every detail clearly. The noises made around the forest seemed to map out her surroundings. She could even differentiate the scents of all her teammates.

_'What's happening to me?'_

**'I should have warned you about this, since you're being exposed to more and more of my chakra, you'll notice some changes, the biggest ones should be increased strength and speed with a boost to your senses. In essence, you'll be taking on some of my aspects.'**

_'Well that's just great isn't it?'_ tired from the day, she decided to let it go for now.

* * *

It wasn't long before they were ambushed again, this time by a group of Rain ninja. These one were proficient with clones, but not as good as Naruto, and with her enhanced sense helping to track down the real one and end the battle quickly. They made it to the tower relatively quick, having taken only three of their given five days to reach it. This meant that they actually had some time to rest until the other successful teams arrived.

After two more days, all the teams that had passed gathered in front of the Hokage as he explained the next part. He said that this part was merely a preliminary round before the actual third part of the exam and told them that this was their last chance to back out of the exam. Kabuto was about to give up, but with some words from his teammates, he reluctantly agreed to stay.

* * *

"Kabuto Yakushi vs Kureha Uzumaki. Will the combatants please step forward." coughed Hayate Gekko, the chosen proctor for the third exam.

Both of the Leaf Genin entered the area.

"Don't go easy on me. We both have to give it our all, got it Kabuto." announced the red-headed Uzumaki.

"You don't have to worry about that, I plan on coming at you with my full strength."

Both of them got into their fighting stances. Kureha charged at Kabuto, shocked as her speed caused the ground to crack. She over shot and moved past Kabuto, still overwhelmed by her own speed. Kabuto took this chance to attack. He coated his hand in chakra and swung at her. She ducked and swept for his legs but he was able to back away just in time. Kureha stood up and flexed her hands a bit getting her muscles in order. Kabuto wasted no time in charging back at her. He managed to graze her arm and she felt as if all the nerves in it shut down. Biting her lip to keep from screaming, Kureha brought up her leg to kick him away. As he staggered she rushed at him and unleashed a spinning flurry of kicks

"Uzumaki Style Taijutsu: Hurricane Fury!"

Finishing with a punch from her good arm, she knocked Kabuto into one of the walls, resulting in him losing consciousness. Hayate looked over at the defeated Shinobi before announcing Kureha's victory. 

Kureha thanked the unconscious Kabuto for a good match before walking back up to her team. She was quickly tackled by Naruto and Sakura with Sasuke and Kakashi watching.

"Aww yeah, I knew you's pass this sis! Just you wait, I'll pass mine and then I'll see ya in the finals!" yelled the blonde knucklehead

After letting him ramble, he walked off to see the next match, leaving Sakura to talk with Kureha.

"You did great out there you know." said Sakura with a faint blush.

Kureha smiled at her before swaying a bit.

"I'm gonna lie down a bit, wake me up when your match is up."

"Ok, do you want me to wake you up for Naruto's match too?"

Kureha looked over to when her brother was leaning on the railings before smiling.

"Nah, I don't need too. I already know he's gonna win. Besides, I would never let him live it down if he lost."

Off to the side, Kakashi stared fondly at his master's daughter.

_'Her potential is staggering. She's gonna go far Minato-Sensei'_

 

 

 


End file.
